ROOTED - Monday, July 28, 2025

Exodus 20:3
3 … You shall have no other Gods before me

Reflection: Question #40
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro 
Question: What is the First Commandment?
Answer: Exodus 20:3
God wastes no time getting straight to the point! On the top ten list, the Lord says the most important thing with clarity: have no other gods before him. It is an opening salvo that blows up our desires, our whims, and preferences. You may say, “Jesse, I do not really have any gods I worship!” Well, the First Command presupposes that we do struggle with gods. We all do. We are all worshippers, and we all live our lives in service of gods… the true God or false gods. It is not a matter of whether we worship or not… it is a matter of what or who we worship.
I worship God… most of the time. But other gods show up occasionally and they take precedence over the Lord. Family can be a god we prefer over the one true God, worshipping at the idol of other relationships over God’s Money certainly can play the role of “god,” as can fame, health, and possessions. None of these things are bad on their own, but they can have an inappropriate pull on our hearts. God alone, according to this First Command, should lay claim to the principal part of our hearts. Anything that we prioritize above Him is an idol, a false god. This Command is one we often violate as part of our humanity. So it is that our hearts should always be challenged with the question, “Is God alone the one whom I worship?” That is, is God my hearts one, true desire. If the answer to that is “no,” then we must circle back around to the First Command and ask God to help us keep Him at the top of the list!

Prayer 
Lord God, may we take seriously this First Commandment, remembering that we are always worshipping and prioritizing something. May we keep you first in our hearts as our primary affection.